


A Lance In One Hand, A Shield In The Other

by Chloe_Hallow_Eve



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Lance are Siblings, Almost they're cousins actually, Alternate Universe - Human, BAMF Allura (Voltron), BAMF Keith (Voltron), BAMF Lance (Voltron), BAMF Shiro (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Relationships, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hacker Pidge (Voltron), Human Allura (Voltron), Human Coran (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance has a brief crush on Hunk, Multi, Pining Lance (Voltron), Rating May Change, Sniper Lance (Voltron), Superhero AU (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-24 19:39:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12019614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe_Hallow_Eve/pseuds/Chloe_Hallow_Eve
Summary: Super's are people with un-explainable powers and abilities. They make up less than five percent of the worlds population, but are still strong, and make waves whenever they splash about.The Empire aims to take over the world, one recruited Super at a time. Allura plans on stopping them with a small force, including her cousin and close confidant, Lance. Lotor's task is to eliminate the glue of Voltron.Needless to say, Lotor screws up royally.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Lance, from age seven to seventeen.

Lance found out he couldn’t die when he was seven.

 

Well, it was more like he healed too fast for anything to become life threatening, but he didn’t know that at the time. He had been crossing the street to run to his mother after school, after making sure the road was clear, when a car came whipping around the corner and slammed into him. He’d hit the pavement hard, black spots dancing in his vision. He’d heard his mother scream, along with the shouts of other people, but all he could focus on was _pain._

 

Something was on his chest, pushing down with so much _weight,_ and when Lance picked his head up to look a tire of the car sat heavy on him. There were a couple cracks, and Lance was vaguely aware that his ribs were broken. He was winded, and being crushed, and probably had a rib or two puncturing his lungs, making his breath come out short and quick. The black spots grew, and before long, Lance had passed out.

 

When he woke in the hospital, his doctor explained to him that all of his injuries had healed overnight, though he was extremely dehydrated and they would need to keep him for another couple days to check his progress. She told him he was one of a very select few with abilities, and though his had saved his life, she needed to make sure his newfound power wouldn’t dehydrate him further.

 

People with unexplainable abilities, or Supers, weren’t completely unheard of. They had been cropping up more and more as time went on, but less than five percent of the world’s population had powers. Some cultures called them demons, others held them to a higher regard than normal people, and others were neutral on the subject. Cuba had been a country that had conflicting opinions, but the neighbourhood Lance lived in started to shun him when he got out of the hospital. Though his parents never said it, Lance knew he was the reason they moved.

 

When his mother had come to visit him in the hospital after work, tears in her eyes, she’d told him she was so grateful for his powers. Lance hadn’t quite understood the implications of what he was at the time, but he would come to call himself an ‘Undine’, the term people started using for those with water-based abilities.

 

* * *

 

After the move, Allura, Lance’s favourite older cousin who had moved to America from Britain and also had abilities, had taken Lance under her wing when she found out. Despite her powers being extremely different and infinitely difficult to place, she was a good mentor. She was the one to suggest that he was a water based Super after hearing that he had been dehydrated after he healed. She was the one to make him try new things, such as actually controlling water, or hydromancy, or healing others instead of himself. By the time he was thirteen, Lance could even thin water out into a fine mist and use it as a reflective cloaking device that made him practically invisible. Allura had been proud of him when he accomplished it, then saw her mistake when he kept using it to sneak out after dark.

 

“Lance, you can’t keep using your powers for personal gain.” She’d said with a scowl.

 

“Why not? They’re my powers, and it’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”

 

“You say that now, but what will happen when you use hydromancy to see the answers to next week’s quiz? Or if you use them to get back at people who say bad things about you? And when you get away with it, you start wanting more and going bigger until you kill someone for your disgusting grapple for power and decide you can keep doing that?” She stormed away to her shared room with big sis Marianne and didn’t come out for dinner.

 

Lance hadn’t known what to say. Her father, Uncle Alfor, head of the New York City police force, had been killed in action by a gang of Supers and humans that called themselves The Empire only months ago. Since her mother (Lance’s father’s sister) died when she was young, Lance’s mom and dad had decided to take her in. They already had five kids, what was one more? But it had obviously left a scar on Allura. She became harsher, more prone to bursts of anger, lashing out at those around her if they said the wrong thing. Lance understood, but didn’t want her to think that behaviour was okay. He didn’t know how to help.

 

The next day, Allura had apologised for her outburst. They talked, cried, and carried on.

 

The next year, after Allura graduated and Lance was about to start high school, Allura told them she was taking the inheritance money left by Alfor to make her own special force in New York. She had already spoken with the new chief of police, a family friend called Coran, and they were working together to make it a sort of branch of office which would specialize in dealing with crimes committed by Supers. They just needed government approval, to work out the specifics of the office and the rules they’d follow, and they’d be good to go.

 

Lance’s mom and dad had been understandably concerned, but supported Allura if this is what she wanted to do. And so, half a year later, the Supers branch was ready to be launched.

 

Lance had gotten a call, late at night, almost a year after Allura announced that she had gotten approved. He’d been sleeping, and answered the phone with a groggy hello.

 

“Lance,” Allura’s british accent came through, still as strong as her dad’s had been, “I want you to join Voltron once you graduate.”

 

It took a long time for Lance to process the words, blinking sleep out his eyes. “What’s ‘Voltron’?”

 

“The task force. The Super branch of the police I got approved to run? I told you about the name last time I saw you.”

 

“Did you?” Lance rubbed his eyes. “Mierda, what time is it?”

 

There was a pause, then what could have been a quiet swear. “It’s six thirty AM or so here. I briefly forgot you’re three hours behind my time.”

 

“Even if I wasn’t three hours behind, why would you think I’m up at six in the morning?”

 

“You have school today.” Her voice was so matter of fact Lance almost hung up on her.

 

“‘Lura, I might be in sunny California, but I do not rise with the sun. I fight the sun.”

 

“Is that why you’re consistently late for class?”

 

“No, that would be Alex’s grandma driving.” Lance glanced over at said older brother, who was still sound asleep across the room. “Also he sleeps in way later than I do. It’s a problem. And how do you know I’m usually late?”

 

“I call Alma and Joseph frequently.”

 

“Ew, willingly calling my parents, gross.”

 

“Regardless,” Allura’s voice became sharp, “I want you to join me in New York once you’ve graduated.”

 

Lance sat up, knowing that he probably wasn’t going to get back to sleep with the incoming conversation, toeing his slippers closer so he could slip them on. “You want me to join your secret police?”

 

“It’s not secret, necessarily, just not public knowledge yet.”

 

“That’s the same thing.” Lance switched ears while pulling on his housecoat. “Why do you even want me to join? There’s probably a lot of more capable people out there.”

 

“I won’t deny that,” Lance could hear Allura scowling at his thinly veiled self-deprecation and grinned, “but you know those feelings I’d get, where I knew I had to do something or had to make sure someone else did something?”

 

“Your fate sensor?”

 

“Stop calling it that. But, yes.”

 

“So the stars or whatever are telling you that I need to join your nerd squad?”

 

Allura huffed. “That’s not-! Ugh, forget it. Do you want to come or not?”

 

Lance, making his way to the kitchen, fell silent. He knew that his powers were more powerful than most, that he had a lot more variety, and that they’d be useful, but he didn’t know if he wanted to do anything with them. It was hard enough going day to day without getting picked on for being different, what would happen if he broadcasted himself? There’d be people equally as powerful coming for him and his family. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to make that sacrifice.

 

“.... Can you give me time to think about it?”

 

There was a pause on the other line. When Allura spoke again, her voice was much softer. “Of course. Take all the time you need.”

 

“Thanks, ‘Lura.”

 

They spent a moment listening to their own and each other’s breaths, neither in a hurry to be somewhere for once. Lance poured himself a glass of grape juice. He really missed being able to see Allura every day, sometimes. He was used to only having to go one room over to talk to her, even after all this time. Allura wasn’t allowed to visit often, even during holidays. Calls were short and rushed, one or both occupants usually having school or work. It was hard to get in contact with Allura sometimes, her being on missions or diplomatic meetings with government officials. So, yeah, Lance really missed her. Not that he’d admit it.

 

He couldn’t hold a candle to how much Isabella, his younger sister, missed her though. She’d idolized Allura and had been eleven when she left. Isabella had cried for two weeks straight. She still whined and had the most conversations with Allura, but had calmed down considerably. Everyone had. It didn’t take away the fact that they wanted her back and her safety guaranteed.

 

After a few moments longer, Allura cleared her throat. “How has high school been so far?”

 

Lance immediately went into a tirade about how most of his teachers sucked. He was being overdramatic, of course, there was only one teacher he really didn’t like, but it was worth it to fall into the familiar bickering he and Allura hadn’t done for so long. Plus, this would be a great opportunity to tell her about his new Samoan best friend.

 

* * *

 

 

Hero’s started becoming a real concept. People with powers started stopping crimes, proving to be an asset to the police once they were government approved. Lance suspected Allura had something to do with the legalization of this new profession, but she never mentioned it, so Lance never asked.

 

Lance was sixteen when he started idolizing a Super who was rising in the ranks quickly. He went by the alias ‘White’, and seemed to be a Sylph (air based Super). No one was sure how his powers worked, but there were plenty of theories. Lance had scourged the internet for hours trying to sort through them all and find the most likely one. White usually worked alongside an unknown informant, nicknamed ‘Code’ by fans, but there was so little known about him that Lance couldn’t regard him as highly as he did White.

 

After watching a grainy phone-footage of White apprehend a couple of bank robbers that had been holding hostages, Lance knew he wanted to be like that. He wanted to save people, he wanted to make others feel safe, he wanted to make some kid feel the same inspiration White made him feel. He picked back up the training he’d pushed aside once Allura had left, determined to be the best he could.

 

White and Code disappeared on a mission a few months later. No one knew where they went, or who took them. There was a lot of talk that it was The Empire’s doing, but no proof. Lance’s family worried about him, knowing that he looked up to White, but Lance worked even harder upon hearing the news. The sooner he could start saving people, the sooner he could help to find White.

 

It turned out there was no need, though, since a year later White was back on the radar, saved by some Salamander (fire based Super) upstart with crazy powerful abilities. The kid’s name was Keith Kogane, made public mostly because he didn’t care if people knew his name or not, and Lance instantly hated him. He had swiped Lance’s goal right out from under his feet, like it was no big deal, and was now broadcasted as one of the best new Super’s to be a hero. It was stupid. It was sickening. The only good thing about Keith was that he had saved White sooner than Lance probably could have.

 

Besides, he had a mullet. What person with a mullet _wasn’t_ an asshole?

 

Not long after White was saved, someone similar to Code popped up. They worked in the same way, hacking quickly and leaving only a vague thumb print to signify they were there but no way of tracking them. The differences were clear though. They weren’t afraid to go for government data, and gave information to anyone who would give them something in return. Well, not anyone, they did have some sort of moral code, but pretty much anyone. Lance tracked their progress for weeks, curious to know if they were a fan of Code or just had similar methods, before they dropped off the map again. It was a strange, short lived fame, but it reminded people that there was still someone missing. Someone in The Empire’s hands, as White had confirmed.

 

Lance was still mulling it over when his best friend and current long-term crush who was also a Super, Tsuyoshi ‘Hunk’ Garrison, told him he’d be going to New York on an engineering internship. Even though they were the same age, Hunk had already graduated, and had been taking a gap year to think about what he wanted to do.

 

“The head of Balmera sent me the email a month ago. He saw what I did for the past few science fairs I won, including the semi-finals that I bombed. He was still impressed, though. I’ve been thinking about it, and decided I’m going to do it.”

 

Lance choked on his pizza. “B-Balmera? The top government-approved engineering company? The place that makes stuff for the goddamn FBI, as well as energy conserving high quality tech? THAT Balmera?”

 

Hunk shook his head fondly, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “Is there another Balmera I’d be talking about?”

 

“Holy shit!” Lance leaned across the table and grabbed hold of Hunk’s shoulders, shaking him, not caring how loud he was being in the Boston Pizza they were in. “Dude, that’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

 

Hunk rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his face. “I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure if I wanted to or not. That’s kind of why I invited you out here, bud.”

 

Lance was hit with a wave of conflicting emotions. On one hand, he was super excited that Hunk had gotten such an amazing opportunity. He was a brilliant engineer, and the sweetest guy Lance had ever met. He deserved the world. On the other hand, he was the reason Lance had his bisexual awakening, and he’d kind of hoped this random outing was because Hunk wasn’t as straight as Lance thought, but now he’d be leaving to work on the other side of the country. But, seeing how proud Hunk was of himself, Lance just couldn’t protest. So Lance grinned and continued to shake Hunk excitedly.

 

“Buddy, you’re going to be awesome! You’re gonna go there and kick ass!” Lance’s grin widened, heart fluttering, when a modest blush spread cutely across Hunk’s cheeks. “When do you leave?”

 

“I have two weeks before I need to be on a five hour flight from San Diego to New York City.” Hunk scrubbed a hand over his face, sighing. “It’s going to be terrible.”

 

Lance, fully aware of Hunk’s fear of flying and weak stomach, grimaced sympathetically. Hunk snorted at his expression. “Well then, guess I’ll have to show you the time of your life before you leave Long Beach!”

 

“Lance, you don’t have to-”

 

“I can so I will! Come on, we’ve got some parties to plan!” Lance grabbed hold of Hunk’s arm tightly and yanked him out of the building. Hunk was only just able to pay for their meal before they disappeared out the door.

 

The next two weeks were a blur of sight seeing, extravagant meals, and parties with underaged drinking. Before Lance knew it, he was standing at the airport, waving as he watched the plane carrying a no-doubt already sick Hunk away from him. As soon as he couldn’t see it anymore, he fumbled for his phone.

 

Surprisingly, Allura picked up on the first ring. “You’re not calling to take back your yes, are you?”

 

“No, I’m still gonna be joining your nerd squad when I graduate. Stop asking everytime I call you.”

 

Allura sighed. “Sorry, things have been stressful lately. But you are aware that the Super ‘White’ you adore so much is part of my so called ‘nerd squad’, correct?”

 

“What? When did that happen?” Lance got the vague impression he had been told about that right before downing five shots of tequila, but couldn’t be sure. “Nevermind. I’m calling you because my best buddy, the green eggs to my ham, the Watson to my Sherlock, is heading out to New York for an internship and I was wondering if you could show him around. He’ll be really nervous, won’t know the area, doesn’t have any friends, so I was hoping you’d give him a hand.”

 

There was a moment of silence, then, “Are you talking about the boy you’ve had a giant gay crush on for the last three years?” Lance didn’t have time to sputter any sort of defense or negative before Allura was speaking again. “I do have a few days off. Where and when will he be here?”

 

Lance texted Allura the address of the airport and the time the plane was supposed to land, as well as a picture of Hunk so she’d know what she was looking for before thanking her. He was about to hang up when she called his name.

 

“I’m very proud of you. I heard that you’ve been working very hard, and have very good control over your abilities. Keep up the good work, and know I support you no matter what, okay?”

 

Lance was quiet for a second. “What’s gotten you all sentimental?”

 

“Can’t I just tell my little cousin he’s important here and there?”

 

“...Have you been talking to my therapist?”

 

“You- wh- since when-”

 

Well, that’s always one way to hint at the fact that you kind of hate yourself. “Nevermind, I love you, bye!”

 

“Lance-” Allura’s voice was cut off as Lance ended the call.

 

That could have gone better. Lance sighed, stuffing his phone back in his hoodie pocket. He wandered back over to Mr. Garrison and Hunk’s little sister, Natia, who had stood at a respectful distance while he was on the phone.

 

“Alright, let’s head back.” Mr.Garrison clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “Your mom will kill me if you’re not home before dinner.”

 

Lance nodded, glancing back at where the plane had been. After a moment, he followed the Garrisons back to the car.

 

Soon enough, he’d be on one of those planes, heading to New York. Lance felt an excited smile pull at his lips. Soon enough, he’d be a hero.


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to New York, New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a high school graduate, and he's going to be a hero.

Lance bit his lip, staring at his luggage. He was only bringing two suitcases and a carry-on with promises that his other four would be sent once he was settled in, but he still felt like he wasn’t bringing enough. Then again, he wouldn’t have much room in his shared apartment with Allura, so it wasn’t like he could ship over all of his things. Still, he was a little sad to leave his posters and glow in the dark stars behind. He wasn’t sure if he could sleep without tracing the outline of Leo and Hydra every night. 

 

Alma stood behind him, hands clasped together tightly, a proud smile on her cheeks. She waited until Lance turned around to pull him into a hug. It was tighter than she usually gave them, but her fourth child would be leaving. Her baby, her little helper, the only one who could get Isabella to stop crying when they were young, was going to become a hero. She rocked him gently side to side, not wanting to let go. 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?”

 

Lance hummed. “I don’t want you to be late for work.”

 

Alma sighed, slowly letting go, and pressed a quick kiss to Lance’s cheek. “Call me whenever you get the chance, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“And tell me how Hunk and Allura are doing.”

 

“Will do.”

 

“Is your phone charged?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay.” Alma held onto her son’s hands, looking him up and down, before meeting his gaze. “Okay.”

 

Lance smiled. “Bye, mom. I love you.”

 

She smiled back, the same stretch of lips across off-white teeth. “I love you too. Let me know when you get on the plane, and when you land.”

 

Lance nodded, slipping his hands out of hers. He slung the carry-on across his shoulder, then grabbed a suitcase in each hand. He’d already said goodbye to everyone else as they left for work. Now the house was empty, and once Lance left for good, it’d finally  _ feel  _ more empty. He glanced back quickly, trying to commit the entrance he’d stepped into for the last ten years to memory in great detail, then stepped across the threshold. He looked back again. Alma was standing in the doorway, waving. Lance waved back as well as he could. He started walking. 

 

Lance had left early so he could take his time walking through his neighbourhood. There was the tree he’d gotten stuck in, the house with the weird old lady Hunk and him sometimes joined for tea, the fence he’d broken when he ran into it on his bike and had to spend a week fixing. This large piece of his life that knew him for who he was. Now, it’d never know who he’d become. 

 

The bus wasn’t busy, as Lance expected of a midweek, midmorning ride. He picked a two person seat and settled in. He quickly shot a text to Hunk, informing him he was heading towards the airport, then put on his headphones. He channeled in on the news station, and stared out the window. Town became city, city became back roads, and backroads became highway. Lance had a strange mixture of nostalgia and ache as he watched his teens go by. Lance rested his head on the window. He’d miss Long Beach, the same way he missed Varadero. But it was time to move on. 

 

_ “... that The Empire has been taking over the drug cartel for a while, but a mysterious tip allowed police to take one third of their total supply. The few members who were on the scene were apprehended by Black, previously known as White. An impressive show of force, filmed by a couple pedestrians. The link to those videos will be on our twitter, go check those out. Now, we move to…” _

 

Lance closed his eyes. It was time to grow up. 

 

* * *

The flight hadn’t been bad. He’d slept through most of it, and when he’d woken up from his nap, he watched Moana. Sure there was some kid behind him who occasionally kicked his seat, but the mom was quick to stop him and apologised profusely whenever it happened. It was easy to relax. Maybe the last time he would get to before trying to become a hero. 

 

In order to be a hero, one had to be nineteen or older, have above average grades and be in good physical condition. Through the tests, it was actually possible for a regular human to become a hero, though it didn’t happen often. Lance had turned eighteen a month and some ago, but Allura had asked he come early so she could properly train him for the test. Lance didn’t like the sound of that, but he understood that it was necessary to achieve his goal. The government issued test was not easy by any means, so if he didn’t allow Allura to train him, there was a larger chance that he’d fail. And he really, really didn’t want to fail. 

 

Lance was going over what he knew of the tests when he stepped off the plane, and was greeted by a giant shiny silver balloon shaped in his name. Lance stared at it for a few moments. He hadn’t known those things  _ came _ in his name. He traced the strings holding it down to a head of shockingly red hair. Lance grinned. If the few skype calls he’d had with Allura that were interrupted weren’t enough to let him know who that was, the booming voice he’d heard answer most of Allura’s calls while she was busy definitely did. 

 

“LANCE, MY BOY!” Coran let go of the balloon was immediately on him, pulling him in a tight hug before Lance could give his own greeting. He watched his name float up for a moment, wondering how much of a pain that would be for staff. 

 

“Hey, Coran! Nice to finally meet you in person.” Lance hugged back, thrilled with the warm embrace. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one that wanted to hug someone he barely knew.  

 

Coran squeezed him around the chest before stepping back, placing his hands on Lance’s shoulders, allowing Lance to get a good look at the man. He seemed fairly normal, light skin with spatterings of freckles,  _ very  _ ginger, and two unexpected scars under his eyes. “You’re a little different then what Allura described, but that’s to be expected, since you two haven’t been face to face in four years! Come, let’s retrieve your luggage then head towards headquarters!” Coran shooed Lance in the direction of the baggage carousel, bounding behind him. “Allura meant to be the one to pick you up, but something happened at work. Don’t worry, it should be done by the time we get there! Now, which ones are yours?”

 

Lance’s first bag was out pretty quickly, but they had to wait another ten minutes for his second suitcase to come tumbling out. Lance learnt a lot of things about Coran in that time, especially about him and Uncle Alfor when they were young. It was really nice to hear about Alfor, since Allura didn’t like talking about her father and no one brought him up even after Allura moved. Lance’s favourite story so far was of Alfor’s first meetings and subsequent attempts at flirting with Allura’s mom. It turned out, no matter how smooth he was the few times Lance had met him, he was really,  _ really  _ bad at talking to his prefered gender. 

 

“Well, that’s enough about me,” Coran said as he lifted the other suitcase and started walking towards the exit, “what about you, Lance?”

 

“What about me?”

 

“What do you enjoy doing?”

 

Lance hummed. “Well, I was on the swimming team and in the theatre club at school.”

 

Coran made an excited noise. “I’ve always loved a good theatre production! What was your favourite play?”

 

The conversation continued like so the entire ride (in Coran’s really sweet car, which he didn’t know the name of because he wasn’t Hunk, but it was slick and black and probably had a hidden siren somewhere). Lance found Coran easy to talk to. He was silly, sure, but he was very insightful, and asked just the right questions to keep Lance talking. Lance wondered if Coran was a Super and that was his ability, but when he asked, Coran laughed. 

 

“No, no, I’m just very good at reading people. I have to be for my job! I’m no Super.”

 

By the time they approached the NYPD building, the sun was almost touching the horizon. Lance looked out at the structure. It was tall, and kind of square, but not nearly as impressive as some of the buildings around it. It looked professional enough to be a police building, for sure. Lance glanced at Coran, who quickly parked and unbuckled. 

 

“We’re meeting Allura inside, since she’s been watching over things for me. She’s probably going to drag you to the Voltron building before we can move your luggage.”

 

Lance raised a brow. “Voltron… building?”

 

Coran pointed to the building a bit behind the NYPD headquarters. Lance followed his finger, making a small noise of surprise. It was one of the shorter skyscrapers. Lance looked back at Coran. 

 

“Allura bought an entire  _ building  _ for her department?”

 

Coran nodded. “Even turned the upper floors into a suite! Which is where you’ll be staying, coincidentally!” 

 

Lance continued to stare at Coran. The redheaded man smiled back, unbuckling his seatbelt and slipping out of the car. Lance sat for a few more moments, processing, before following. They walked into the lobby quickly, where Coran shared quick greetings with the lady at the front counter before hopping into the elevator. Lance was surprised when there was actual, honest to god ‘elevator music’. Though, it seemed like a Coran thing to do. He was even humming along. Lance bit his lip to keep from laughing. 

 

When the elevator stopped, Coran practically dashed out. Lance had to jog a little to keep up. The room was filled work desks and screens with a separate room at the far end, which Lance assumed was the boss room. As they approached, passing people who all greeted Coran, the door opened and a very familiar figure stepped out. 

 

Allura paused when she saw Coran and Lance, recognition lighting up her face. She didn’t look much different from when Lance last saw her. Maybe a bit more lean, skin darkened further from the sun, the vitiligo under her eyes and between her fingers not having progressed much. The only thing that took Lance for a loop was…

 

“The fuck did you do to your hair?” He blurted.

 

Silence dropped over the room. Most people looked tense, others interested, the last few excited. Lance assumed they’d all seen Allura blow up on people who swore in the workplace, which was  _ hilarious,  _ but Lance knew she wouldn’t do anything. Her eyes were soft, and while a sharpness passed over them, they stayed warm. 

 

Allura only rolled her eyes and huffed, lifting a hand to her bob. It framed her face nicely. The roots were still the deep brown Lance had come to associate with his cousin, but everything else was dyed a bright silver. Lance cringed to think of how much bleach was used before the colour stuck. 

 

“Lance, it’s hair. It’ll grow out.”

 

Lance pouted at her. “But I was looking forward to braiding it.”

 

“You can still braid it.”

 

“It’s not the same.” He whined, posture dropping. 

 

Allura failed to fight a smile. She adjusted her suit jacket and crossed the distance between them. “Thank you for getting him, Coran. I just finished, so good timing.”

 

“It was no trouble. Lance is a very nice young lad!”

 

Allura nodded. “Then we’ll be off. Call me if you need anything else.”

 

“Will do!” Coran chirped, then turned to Lance. “It was very nice meeting you! I’ll be seeing you soon.”

 

“See ya.” Lance waved, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

 

Coran passed his car keys to Allura, who tossed them into the purse over her shoulder. She motioned for Lance to follow her, using her long legs in their flats to cross the room quickly. Lance kept pace with large strides. They were out of the NYPD building in seconds, heaving the luggage out of the back of Coran’s car, then headed for the Voltron building. 

 

Lance lagged a little when they approached. The evening sun reflected off of each window, making it difficult to see anything inside. Lance could barely make out which windows had lights on. There were a couple occupied rooms closer to the top, he observed. When Lance looked back down, Allura was holding the door open with a perfect brow arched. Lance jogged over, thanking her quickly before ducking past the threshold. 

 

The first floor was more like three. The ceiling was high, and there were stairs to a series of balcony-floors, all bordered with glass and railings. There were lamps, wall lights, chandeliers, you name it. The only part of the floor Lance could see that was currently occupied was by the front desk and the chairs on the upper level. There was one section that was blocked off by walls, and Lance gathered from the sign that it lead to the bathrooms and the elevator. Lance slowly looked to Allura, who was watching him with a smug look on her face. She strutted forwards and linked their arms, leaning against him as she admired the room. 

 

“I had a lot of renovations done, you would not  _ believe  _ what this used to be like. I designed any and all interiors myself, and even helped a bit with construction. I’d like to think I put a bit of myself into every room. This floor is where most diplomatic meet and greets happen, as well as any parties we host. All upper floors are off limits, if you’re not part of Voltron or given my permission.”

 

Lance leaned back, both to be annoying and because he enjoyed the contact. “It’s nice. Like, really nice. How much money did you get from your dad?”

 

Allura shrugged, tugging him along towards the elevator. It, too, was made of glass. Lance wondered if Allura knew her top secret police building was practically see through. They stepped in, Allura having to swipe a card before she could press a floor, and Lance was disappointed that there was no elevator music. 

 

“The second floor is the lounge area you saw from the first floor. The third is a research facility, though we don’t keep any information there, it just looks like a proper police office. The fourth floor is a library, fifth the science labs, sixth training decks, seventh meeting rooms, eighth archives, ninth another library but this one you need security clearance, tenth is storage, eleventh brainstorm area, twelfth exercise room, thirteen is the common rooms, fourteen the kitchens and lounge, then fifteen and sixteen are where we’re staying.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Any questions?”

 

Lance stared out of the elevator as they slowly passed the first few floors. “...Common rooms?”

 

“Yes. Every member of Voltron is offered free housing and accommodations here. There are sixteen rooms, all relatively spacious. Only five of them are occupied at the moment, but we’re prepared for more.”

 

“And you’re letting me stay in the two floor suite with you?”

 

Allura suddenly looked embarrassed. “Well, I always knew you’d join me here, and I always imagined our rooms to be close. If you’d prefer to stay in the common rooms, though, I’d understand.”

 

Lance grinned, scooping up Allura’s hand and bumping his hip into hers. “Hey, I’m totally cool with it. Just think you’ll probably get fed up with me after a few days. I guarantee I will find all of your buttons and push them within the week.”

 

Allura snorted, shooting him a playful glare. “I’d be disappointed with anything less.”

 

They stayed like that for a moment, holding hands and grinning at each other, enjoying having one another close again. The elevator slowly stopped, and Allura tugged Lance forward. 

 

“We’re stopping by the lounge so I can introduce you to a couple of the current members of Voltron, if you don’t mind having to carry your luggage a few more moments. In all honestly, I consider you my first member, but officially, these people were here before you.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “They can fight me for the position. I will tussle anyone who tries to take my title from me.”

 

They went down the hall to the right, around the corner, then were in a room with couches making a semi-circle around a large TV on the far wall with scattered game consoles around it. There were two people, one a short female with light brown hair up in a ponytail who sat on the couch, her back to them, tapping away on a keyboard. The second individual was a tall, broad shouldered male. After a moment of examining his hair, which was black besides the white tuft of his bangs, he came to the startling realization that he had a mental arm. It took Lance a moment to realize who that was, but when he did, a large grin stretched across his lips. 

 

The male, who had been leaning against the back of the rightmost couch examining the female, spotted Allura and immediately straightened. There was an odd light to his eyes that died quickly when he noticed Allura and Lance’s still linked hands. Lance had to bite back his laughter. Oh, this was _precious_. Lance couldn’t _believe_ his idol was getting nervous about _talking_ _to his crush_. 

 

He also couldn’t believe his idol was that easy to read. 

 

Allura’s eyes lit up similarly, but she didn’t seem to notice the other’s shift in mood. “Shiro, there you are. I was hoping to find you first. I’d like to introduce someone very special to me.”

 

Lance felt his shoulders shake and his eyes threaten to tear up with amusement when Shiro’s shoulders slumped. God, okay, it was probably time to give this guy a break before his soul was completely crushed. Lance slipped his hand out of Allura’s and approached the man, offering it to him. 

 

“I’m Allura’s cousin, Lance. You’re Black, right? It’s super cool to meet you. I’ve followed your work for years.”

 

Shiro’s eyes darted between him and Allura, his shoulders setting back and the light bouncing right back into his eyes. Lance kept a friendly grin on his face, but by the light flush on Shiro’s cheeks, Lance knew he was pretty much oozing amusement. 

 

Shiro hesitated a moment, then took Lance’s hand in his metal one and shook firmly. He gave his own small smile. “Yeah, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you too.”

 

The female, who had turned to look at him when she heard the word ‘cousin’, placed her laptop beside her and faced her body towards them. She rested her arms on the back of the couch and knelt, giving him a quick once over. 

 

“Cousin, huh? Yeah, you do look kinda like the princess.” She glanced to Allura. “What’s he doing here? I’m guessing, from the luggage, it’s not for a tour.”

 

Allura came forward, placing the hand not holding Lance’s suitcase on his shoulder. “You are correct, Katie. Lance is going to be joining Voltron, once he takes his hero exam.”

 

“He hasn’t already?” Shiro frowned. “How old are you?”

 

“Eighteen.” Lance shrugged. “‘Lura wanted me to come early for training.” 

 

The female, Katie, perked up and leaned forwards. “So, you’re a Super? What can you do?”

 

“I’m an Undine.” 

 

“So, like, water based stuff all around?”

 

“Pretty much.”

 

Katie hummed, then turned around and grabbed their laptop again. They restarted typing, this time with more vigor. Lance leaned over to see what she was doing. She was doing a quick scan of the internet for any and all information on Undine’s, with a different, quicker, and automatically downloading search engine. Lance slipped behind her, placing his hands on the back of the couch. Allura tugged Shiro aside, beginning to talk quietly with him while Lance questioned Katie. 

 

“Did you code that thing yourself?”

 

Katie shot him a smug look. “Yep. Built the laptop myself too. You understand mechanics?”

 

“Not really, just know a few things.” Something nagged at Lance as he watched Katie work. He narrowed his eyes. 

 

“Well basically, anything on this that works, I did it. I included a facial recognition software and profiler all based on government information. Or what they’d let me access, at least.”

 

Lance went to tap the screen, but had his hand slapped away. “You a technopath?”

 

Katie hummed again. “Not quite, but you’re correct in assuming I’m a Super. But I have more of an understanding of molecules and how something is made up or works. I can manipulate it too, but that’s more or less only for nature more than tech.”

 

Lance ‘huh’ed. He watched the computer work for a few more seconds before realization dawned, the reason he found Katie’s work so familiar coming to mind. “Are you the Copy Code?”

 

Katie paused in her typing, posture tense, then continued. “It’s impressive that you could tell just by watching me work.”

 

Lance shrugged. “I was tracking your progress pretty closely for the time you were public. How old are you, anyways? You don’t look older than me.”

 

“Sixteen.” Katie said without missing a beat.

 

“Mierda, you’re little.”

 

A hand shot out and punched Lance’s shoulder quickly. Lance yelped, scowling at Katie, who scowled right back. 

 

“Okay, break it up.” Shiro came over, hands held out. “There’s no need for violence, Katie, he wasn’t trying to insult you.”

 

Katie turned her scowl on Shiro. Shiro stared back, the same look in his eye Lance’s dad got when he or his siblings back talked. Katie huffed, turning back to her work and ignoring them. 

 

Shiro sighed, then smiled at Lance. “Sorry about her.”

 

Lance waved him off. “She’s like my little sister, only a lot more white. It’s fine.”

 

Shiro chuckled. “Well, welcome to the team. Our engineers are in the kitchen, across the hall, and my little brother is in on the training room if you wanted to meet him. I'll be training you once you get settled in, alright?”

 

Being trained by the man who inspired him to be a hero? Hell yes. “Sounds good. I'll just pop over to the kitchen quickly before unpacking.” He set down his suitcase. “Look after this for me, ‘Lura.”

 

Allura nodded. Lance narrowed his eyes at her. There was something sly about her smile. Allura watched his expression turn wary, her smile growing. He stared at her a few moments more. 

 

“Don't go telling all of my secrets while I'm gone.”

 

Allura rolled her eyes, coming forward to shove him lightly out of the room. “Yes, yes, go meet your other team members.”

 

Lance shot her one last suspicious glare before relenting, slinking down the hall. He passed the elevator, going down the only other way the hallway. He turned a corner, and was standing in a large kitchen with a dining table for two families. He would have been impressed with how well-stocked and clean it was if he hadn't seen the people. 

 

“HUNK!” Lance shrieked, not giving the man any time to do anything but startle before he slammed into him. “BRO!”

 

Hunk turned the best he could in the hug, smiling in that way that crinkled his eyes and scrunched his nose and made Lance’s breath stutter. Hunk laughed, voice booming, and wrapped Lance up in his arms. “Oh man, it is so good to see you.” He glanced back at the food he was making. “I was hoping to keep everything a secret, which is WHY I ASKED ALLURA TO WARN ME WHEN YOU ARRIVED.” 

 

The echo of a giggle answered Hunks shout. 

 

He sighed. “She is a conniving woman.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Lance snorted, pulling back to get a better look at his best friend. “God, it's been forever. Looking good, man.”

 

Hunk grinned back at him. “It's been an interesting year. So, first off, I know I said this a thousand times over the phone but I have to say it again now that we’re face to face, thank you so much for having Allura pick me up. It was a really nice surprise, and got me in contact with her so she could work with Balmera more closely.”

 

“Yeah, I was wondering.” Lance cocked a brow. “One, why aren't you  _ in  _ Balmera, and two,” he offered a hand to the girl who had been fiddling and smiling while watching them reunite, “who may you be?”

 

The girl, a taller than Hunk, built, dark skinned beauty with probably the most freckles Lance had ever seen on anyone ever, blinked at Lance’s sudden flirty tone. She glanced uncertainly at Hunk, her neck and ears turning even darker with a blush. Hunk rolled his eyes, pulling Lance back. He offered her a reassuring smile, and her tense posture relaxed considerably. 

 

“Lance, this is Shay. She and her brother are going to inherit Balmera, and since she tends to help out wherever she can, we tended to bump into each other. We…” Hunk rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish, and Lance knew where this was going. “We’re dating.”

 

Lance felt his heart stop for a moment. He'd expected this one day, and hoped he would have gotten over his crush on Hunk beforehand, but he hadn't. He felt a clench in his gut and swallowed to keep his feelings there. Hunk was smiling softly at Shay, and he seemed so happy, and Shay looked just as smitten. Lance, despite the heartbreak he was no doubt going to experience later, was happy Hunk found someone who treated him how he should be treated. 

 

He focused on those emotions, using them to stretch his grin wider and enthusiastically grab one of Shay’s hands. “In that case, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Shay! I'm Lance, Hunk’s best friend and founder of the ‘Treat Hunk Well’ society. Glad to have another member!”

 

A laugh was startled out of Shay and she shook his head, dark cropped hair falling into her face. She shook his hand. “It's nice to meet you, too. Hunk has told me a lot about you!”

 

Jesus, even her  _ voice  _ was ‘precious bean, protect at all costs’ territory. Even her eyes were a super soft bright amber, and Lance was a sucker for pretty eyes. Despite the beginnings of an ache in his chest, Lance couldn't find any part of him that disliked Shay. 

 

“And about the first question,” Hunk placed a hand on his shoulder, “the both of us work here now as personal armour and weapon specialists. Allura pays Balmera for our work, and Balmera pays us and will get some credit for the Voltron program.”

 

“That’s… pretty cool.” Lance pouted. “Why’d you never tell me any of this?”

 

Hunk shrugged. “It never felt… right, you know? I prefer to tell you things like this in person, and since you’re here now, we can catch up.”

 

Lance couldn’t argue with that. There were a lot of things he definitely hadn’t told Hunk about. “Sure, man. I’m gonna put my luggage away, but we can shoot the shit during dinner.”

 

“Need any help?”

 

Lance shook his head, already inching backwards towards the door. “Nah, I’ve got it. It was nice to meet you, Shay!”

 

Shay barely got out a ‘you too’ before he finger gunned into the hall, going back to the lounge and grabbing his stuff. Allura disengaged from her conversation with Shiro when she noticed him waiting. 

 

“Ready to get settled in?”

 

“You bet.”

 

* * *

Allura’s suite was a  _ lot  _ nicer than Lance had thought it would be. The windows took up entire walls, letting natural light in from all directions. A set of spiraling stairs led to the second floor, which overlooked the living room. There were four rooms up there. Two bedrooms, one of which was Allura’s, one bathroom, and an office. 

 

After Allura showed Lance his room, she left him there to go check her emails. It was a simple room with cream walls, soft carpeting, a bed, a closet, a dresser, and a bedside table. The wall across from the door was a large window, as Lance had suspected, but with a wide ledge for him to sit on. The view, while of buildings, was beautiful. There wasn't anything personal about the space, and it didn't feel lived in, but that would soon change. 

 

Lance set down his bags, grateful to stretch his back after having the carry-on slung across his shoulders for so long. He glanced around, eyes catching on something on the side table. He stared at it, then laughed. It must have taken Allura forever to find those. Shaking his head with a grin, Lance picked the plastic bag up, and got to work. 

 

Allura approached his open doorway half an hour later, cocking a brow at Lance as he stretched to stick something to the ceiling, standing on his bed. “Aren't you supposed to be unpacking?”

 

Lance glanced over his shoulder. “What did you expect?” He finished what he was doing, jumping down. “Turn off the light for me, will ya?”

 

Allura complied, flicking the switch down. The ceiling was immediately aglow, constellations twinkling familiarly. Lance turned to Allura with an excited grin. 

 

Allura chuckled softly. “It's almost the exact same as home.” 

 

“That's the idea.” Lance went back to admiring his handiwork. “Thanks for them, by the way.”

 

“You're very welcome.”

 

There was a moment of silence. 

 

“Why did Katie call you ‘princess’?”

 

Allura sighed heavily, but couldn't hide the twitch of her lips. “It began as a joke, since I tend to rule over them, but it stuck and they won't stop calling me that. I don't necessarily mind, it is a position of respect and duty, but the negative connotation society has thrust upon it can be irksome.”

 

Lance hummed. “But you kind of are a princess, though.”

 

Allura punched him in the shoulder, huffing when Lance laughed even though he was rubbing the spot. She looked back to the glow in the dark stars, then at the luggage at the foot of Lance’s ruffled bed. The room had been left alone for so long now that the change was startling, yet pleasant. The room had always been meant for Lance, and now that he was here, she felt a sense of relief. Lance was the one who helped her through her grief and encouraged her to chase her dreams no matter what. She was glad to have him able to support her once more. 

 

Allura nudged Lance’s side with her elbow, catching his attention. She smiled softly when he looked over with a questioning noise. 

 

“I’m really glad you’re here.” She looked back to the room, embarrassed about putting her feelings into words. “There’s no one I trust more to be in this with me.”

 

Lance felt a cheesy grin spread across his face. “There’s no one else I’d join in this mess with.” Allura’s smile widened, and Lance opened his arms. “Come here, there’s no one around so I can’t humiliate you with a weird hug.”

 

Allura snorted, turning and slotting herself against Lance, relaxing into the hug as she wound her arms around his waist. He had gotten a lot taller from the last time she’d seen him, and could now comfortably rest her head on his shoulder. She thanked the small blessings. 

 

Lance rested his head against hers. “I can’t humiliate you in public yet, at least.”

 

Allura froze, immediately trying to squirm out of the hold. Lance’s surprisingly tight grip solidified and he released his full body weight on her. Allura screeched, caught off guard, and dropped to her knees. Her attempts to shift Lance so she could better support him were fruitless, and she instead ended up flat on her back with the killer koala that was Lance wrapped around her with his octopus limbs. 

 

“Lance, for the love of all that is holy, get off of me this instant! I swear, if you don’t, your phone won’t see to live another day! Lance!”

 

Lance only giggled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allura's human look is based off of 'has a nice ring to it's design. Also, I have never been to New York in my life, I live in Canada, I might have made a mistake with setting and need help or else I'm turning to google maps to help me for the entirety of this fic. Thank you for reading, I very much appreciate it, please leave a comment giving me your thoughts! Until next time, see ya~!
> 
> Next Chapter: Training to be a hero is a little more taxing than Lance anticipated. He convinces Hunk and Katie to show him around, and meets a certain handsome man.

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be updated randomly. Sometimes it'll only be days in between, other times weeks. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, please tell me what you think! I'm excited to get this story up and running, though my Black Paladin Lance series will be my top priority. I hope to see you all soon!!!


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